NEW PRESIDENT FOR ROYAL SMITHFIELD
John Coultrip has been appointed as Royal Smithfield Club President for the year 2025.
He farms at Wingfield Farm in Eastling near Faversham in Kent, an arable and grassland farm running 40 pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows and 400 Romney and Suffolk ewes on the North Downs.
Having always taken an interest in breeding and genetics, in 1985 John was awarded a Nuffield farming scholarship, sponsored by the Royal Smithfield Club, to study genetic breeding and meat production from grassland. This study took him to Australia and the USA, and provided him with valuable insights into the genetic breeding of the industry focusing on red meat production.
His involvement with the RSC goes back many years. He has shown both cattle and sheep and attained some very notable successes in the ring. He also stewarded, was Club Chairman in 2002-04 and then served as President of the Club 2011-12. Judging the Long Wools in 1984, and then the Supreme Champions in 2000, were some of the many highlights in his connection with the Club. John counts himself fortunate to have been involved in Smithfield at its peak in the 1980s and 90s.
John has spent his lifetime breeding Pedigree Aberdeen Angus and has been an active member of the Society. He was a Council member for nine years and President in 2008. He has spent many years judging both cattle and sheep at all the major shows, including the Royal, the Royal Welsh, the Royal Highland, the Royal Ulster, and the All-Ireland. He has also had the honour of judging Aberdeen Angus cattle in Brazil.
Photograph shows John amongst his own cows with Remi Fourrier from AHDB discussing red meat sales to France